Government & Politics

In partnership with local nonprofit Trees Forever, the city of Cedar Rapids is offering a low-cost tree adoption for Cedar Rapids residents. Here’s how to get yours.

Several hundred people crowded the west steps of the Iowa State Capitol to protest LGBTQ-related bills lawmakers are considering this year. They held signs that said “Trans People Belong in Iowa” and referenced the state’s motto — “Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain.” They flew rainbow and trans pride flags.

Federal law requires states to have “estate recovery programs” to seek reimbursements for spending under Medicaid. While some states target very little — Hawaii’s program collected just $31,000 in 2019 — other states are more aggressive — Iowa contracts with a private company that recovered $26 million that same year.

Among the bills that didn't survive Friday's “funnel” deadline were those dealing with abortion as the governor’s office and legislative leaders await an Iowa Supreme Court ruling on a “heartbeat” law that would ban abortions after 6 weeks.

Today’s funnel is the first key deadline that winnows the number of bills that remain eligible for consideration for the remainder of the legislative session.

On this week’s edition of the On Iowa Politics podcast: state lawmakers put the F-U in funnel week, and 2024 really gets going with both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis planning trips to Iowa soon.

State government reorganization, bills impacting LGBTQ students and youth, gun regulations and more were passed overnight Thursday into early Friday

As Cedar Rapids looks to acquire over 20 homes in the Time Check area for flood control system construction, a homeowner has appealed the city’s acquisition. The levee the city’s looking to build is still in the design phase.